EP2620044A1

EP2620044A1 - Plastic housing for electronic devices, in particular for remote controls

Info

Publication number: EP2620044A1
Application number: EP11770691.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ferdinand Maier
Original assignee: FM Marketing GmbH
Current assignee: FM Marketing GmbH
Priority date: 2010-09-21
Filing date: 2011-09-15
Publication date: 2013-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2031-09-15
Also published as: WO2012038047A1; CA2793094A1; CA2793094C; US20130229095A1; EP2620044B1; ES2534071T3; DK2620044T3; DE102010045944A1; DE102010045944B4; US8695797B2

Abstract

The plastic housing connects two housing parts (1, 2) solely via a plurality of pins (Z) on one of the housing parts and a plurality of sleeves (8) which are associated with the pins (Z) and have holes (B). In this case, the diameters (D1) of the pins (Z) are greater than the diameters (D2) of the holes (B). Furthermore, the distances (L) between adjacent pins (Z) and the distances between the holes (B) associated with the pins are unequal to such an extent (V) that the pins (Z) can be inserted into the associated holes (B) but the pins (Z) and the holes (B) are braced against one another in a connecting plane (3) on account of the unequal distances (L). This provides a simple and reliable connection between the housing parts (1, 2), and the flexural rigidity and torsional rigidity of the entire housing are improved.

Description

Plastic housing for electronic devices, in particular for remote controls

description

The invention relates to a plastic housing for electronic devices, in particular for remote controls according to the preamble of claim 1. Such housings are well known and commercially available. The housings consist of a first and a second housing part, which may also be referred to as upper shell and lower shell, and which have congruent edges which touch one another in the assembled state. The fully assembled housing forms a cavity in which electrical and electronic components can be arranged. For alignment and centering of the upper and lower shell pins are provided on one of the housing parts and the pin associated bores on the other housing part. For secure attachment of the two housing parts usually additional locking hooks or screws are used. It is also common to glue the two housing parts together at their edges or to weld.

CONFIRMATION COPY These types of connection, such as latching hooks, screwed, glued or welded are material or labor consuming. The most commonly used latching hooks also have the disadvantage that a snapping the

Latch hook requires a certain amount of play, with the result that the two housing parts are not firmly connected to each other, resulting in a reduced bending and torsional rigidity of the housing. In addition, connections with latching hooks can no longer be released without causing any obstruction, unless the housing has removal openings in the area of the latching hooks in order to move the latching hook out of its locking position. With glued or welded housing parts disassembly is non-destructive at all not possible. When screwing disassembly is indeed possible. However, a stable connection of two housing parts with screw connections is only achieved if you use a variety of screws. Usually, however, only four to a maximum of six become

Used screws, so that the bending and torsional rigidity of the mounted housing is not satisfactory. The object of the invention is therefore to improve plastic housing of the type mentioned in that with a reduced material and / or assembly costs, a stable and in particular bending and torsion-resistant housing is created, which is particularly easy to install and non-destructive open.

This object is achieved by the features specified in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

The basic idea of the invention is to produce the connection solely by means of pins and associated bores, which cause jamming between pin and bores due to special dimensioning. For this purpose, on the one hand, the diameters of the pins are larger than the diameters of the associated bores, preferably by about 0.7% to 1%. Next, the distances of the pins .zueinander and the distances of the pins associated with each other bores unequal and indeed to such an extent that the pins are indeed used in the associated holes, but they are elastically braced against each other due to the unequal distances. The prerequisite is, of course, that pins and holes are made of elastic material, which is given in a plastic housing due to the material properties.

According to a preferred embodiment, the distances of adjacent pins and the spacing of associated adjacent holes deviate from each other by approximately 0.7% to 1% of the diameter of the pins.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the pins and bores are each arranged in rectilinear rows near the edges of the housing parts. It is advantageous if the distances between adjacent pins along a row are unequal among themselves. The distance of the pins from the edge of the housing part is preferably of the order of one peg diameter. The pins and the holes are preferably integrally connected to the respective housing part, preferably by means of stiffening ribs. Both housing parts can therefore be molded in one piece from plastic. Preferred plastics are ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) or polycarbonate.

In the following the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment in conjunction with the drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a plastic housing according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view of the inside of a first housing part;

Fig. 3 is a view of the inside of a second

Housing part; an enlarged sectional view as an explosion Därstellung the two housing parts of Figures 2 and 3. and an enlarged sectional view of housing parts with pins and holes.

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a Kunststoffgehäu ses with a first housing part 1 and a second housing part 2, which are connected mitein other in a connecting plane 3. Fig. 2 shows a view of the inside of a first housing part 1 on the embodiment of a plastic housing for a remote control. The first housing part 1 has a substantially flat bottom 4, from which a circumferential circumferential edge 5 projects substantially vertically and whose end face 6 is located in the connection plane 3 when the plastic housing is mounted. In the end face 6, a recess 7 is formed, which may be semicircular, for example.

Near the peripheral edge 5 are integrally formed with the housing part 1 a plurality of sleeves 8, each having a bore Bll to Bin and B21 to B2n. The holes Bll to Bin are arranged in a straight row near a longitudinal side of the peripheral edge 5, while the holes B21 to B2n are arranged close to the opposite longitudinal side of the peripheral edge 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the holes Bll to Bin mirror symmetry to the holes B21 to B2n are arranged.

The center axes of the individual holes have a distance Lll to Lln or L21 to L2n to the adjacent hole. The distances Lll and L21, L12 and L22 to Lln and L2n are each the same size, while the distances Lll, L12 ... to Lln can each be different in size. For example, the distances Lll and L21 are the same size but the distances Lll and L12 are different. The same applies to the distances L21 to L22, etc.

The first housing part 1 has a plurality of openings 9 in the bottom 4, protrude through which not shown control buttons. Next, the first Housing part a plurality of vertically projecting from the bottom 4 stiffening ribs 10 to give the housing part 1, despite the many openings 9 a desired strength.

The second housing part 2 also has a substantially flat bottom 14, a ring encircling, perpendicular from the bottom 14 projecting edge 15, the end surface 16 is in the assembled plastic housing in the connecting plane 3 and comes into contact with the end surface 6 of the first housing part. According to the recess 7 of the first housing part 1, the second housing part 2 has a projection adapted thereto 17, which is also semicircular in this case. Also, the second housing part 2 may have a plurality of stiffening ribs 20. The floor 14 may also have an opening 19 as access to a battery compartment. According to the sleeves 8 with the holes B, the second housing part 2 has a plurality of pins Z21 to Z2n and ZU to Zln. The pins Z21 to Z2n are associated with the holes B21 to B2n and the pin ZU to Zln the holes Bll to Bln.

The distances between adjacent pins Z to each other are denoted by L31 to L3n and L41 to L4n. The central axes of the pins Z21 to Z2n and the pins ZU to Zln are each also arranged in straight rows near the peripheral edge 15 and have to this a small distance which is of the order of the diameter of the pins. The bottom 14 facing ends of the pin Z are stiffening ribs pen 21 integrally connected to the peripheral edge 15 or the bottom 14.

In order to connect the two housing parts 1 and 2 solely on the pin Z and the holes B firmly together, the following measures are provided, which will be explained in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5. The pin Z shown there are cylindrical and have a diameter Dl, The associated holes B in the sleeves 8 are also cylindrical and have a diameter D2. Important for the invention is that the diameter Dl of the pin Z is greater than the diameter D2 of the holes B and indeed about 0.7% to 1% of the diameter Dl of the pin Z. As the pin Z integrally attached to the second housing part 2 are and therefore also made of plastic, they are elastic due to the material properties of the plastic. For the same reason, the sleeves 8 are elastic, so that the pin Z can be inserted into the holes B despite the larger diameter Dl, which already related to forces in the direction of the central axis of the pin Z and the holes B a frictional connection and related Forces in the connection plane 3 a positive connection results.

In a specific embodiment, the diameter of the pins is 2.52mm while the diameter of the holes is 2.50mm.

In order to ensure the insertion of the pins Z into the bores B, the pins Z have at their free end a chamfer 22. In addition, the holes B at ih- The free end of a widening 23. Thus, the pin Z can be inserted into the bore B even if their mutual center axes are not exactly aligned.

To further improve the connection between the pin Z and the bores B and thus also for further stiffening of the two housing parts 1 and 2, the invention provides that the distances between adjacent pins and the distances between the pins associated with adjacent holes are unequal and namely to such an extent that, although the pins are used in the associated holes, but the pins and holes are elastically braced against each other due to the unequal distances. This will be explained in more detail using the example of the pin ZU and Z12 and the associated holes Bll and B12 with reference to FIG. The adjacent pins ZU and Z12 have the distance L41 to each other. The adjacent holes Bll and B12 have the distance LH to each other. These distances relate in each case to the center axes of the holes or pins. These distances LH and L41 are not identical according to an important feature of the invention, but have an offset V against each other, which is shown in Fig. 5. In this example, the distance L41 of the two adjacent pins ZU and Z12 by the dimension V is smaller than the distance LH between the adjacent holes Bll and B12. If now the pins ZU and Z12 introduced into the holes Bll and B12, so longitudinal forces occur in the direction of the arrow X, the pins, the sleeves and the stiffening ribs and the edges 5, 15 and the bottoms 4, 14 of the deform both housing parts 1 and 2 elastically and the pin / sleeve connections in the connection plane 3, which is parallel to the X direction shown in Fig. 5, brace. By this bracing on the one hand an additional frictional force between pins and associated holes in the sense of static friction against movement in the Z direction, ie parallel to the central axes of the pins and holes, applied, which makes an (unintentional) release of the compounds. On the other hand, however, the bending stiffness and torsional rigidity of the two housing parts is also substantially increased by this bracing. This principle of bracing can also be achieved alternatively or cumulatively in that the distances L8 and L9 shown in FIG. 4 are unequal. For example, the distance between the center axes of the holes Bll and B21 (FIG. 2) and that of the pins ZU and Z21 (FIG. 3) is unequal, so that bracing in the Y direction (FIG. 5) also takes place.

The size of the offset V (FIG. 5) is to be matched to the material properties of the plastic used in order to avoid overstressing the material and in particular breaking the pins or the sleeves. Also, the chamfers 22 on the spigot and the widenings 23 on the holes on the offset V vote so that even at maximum possible offset the chamfers 22 still come into contact with the edges of the widenings 23 and the pins can thus be introduced. If the two housing parts 1 and 2 completely connected to each other, the projection 17 engages the peripheral edge 15 in the recess 7 on the peripheral edge 5 and the two end surfaces 6 and 16 are without gap close together. The engagement of the projection 17 in the recess 7 additionally forms a positive connection of the two peripheral edges in the X / Y plane, ie the connecting plane 3, and ensures a further stiffening of the plastic housing. In addition, the engagement of the projection 17 in the recess 7 also acts as a seal against ingress of dirt and dust.

Said offset V in a preferred embodiment of the invention is 0.7 to 1% of the diameter D 1 of the pins Z. If the offset is made in the x and y directions, it is to be determined as a vector with x and y components ,

However, it is preferred that the offset is only in the X direction, i. Longitudinal direction of the housing, provided that the housing, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, is elongated, i. has a greater length than width, since the bending stiffness with respect to the longitudinal extent is more important than with respect to the transverse extent.

In the production of injection molds for the two housing parts 1 and 2 is still to ensure that the two housing parts 1 and 2 due to the different configuration of the openings 9 and the stiffening ribs 10, 20, 22 during curing of the plastic different shrinkage behavior be able to show. Also, different plastics have different shrinkage behavior. For ABS, the shrinkage is about 0.5%, for polycarbonate, 0.65 to 0.70%. Also, the wall thickness of the stiffening ribs 10, 20, 22 plays a role. The stiffening ribs 10, 20, 22 preferably have a wall thickness of 2/3 of the wall thickness of the floors 4 and 14. If the floors 4 and 14 have a wall thickness of 2 mm, then the ribs are given a wall thickness of a maximum of 1.33 mm. Preferably, the stiffening ribs have a draft. At the lower end, they preferably have a wall thickness of 1.2 mm and at the free end of 0.8 mm.

In summary, the invention provides a dimensionally stable and extremely easy to be mounted Kunststoffgehäu se, which can be very difficult, but still non-destructive open.

Claims

claims

Plastic housing for electronic devices, in particular for remote controls, with a first housing part (1) and a second housing part (2) which are connected to one of the housing parts (1, 2) by means of a plurality of pins (Z).

2) and a plurality of the pin (Z) associated sleeves (8) with holes (B) on the other housing part (2, 1) are interconnected, characterized

in that the diameter (D1) of the pins (Z) is greater than the diameter (D2) of the bores (B), that the distances (L31-L3n, L41-L4n) of adjacent pins (Z) and the distances (Lll-Lln, L21-L2n) of the pins (Z) associated bores (B) are unequal to such a degree (V) that the pins (Z) in the associated bores (B) can be used, but the pin (Z) and the holes (B) are elastically braced against each other due to the unequal distances (V).

Plastic housing according to claim 1, characterized

the diameter (D1) of the pins (Z) is greater by 0.7% to 1% than the diameter (D2) of the holes (B).

3. Plastic housing according to claim 2, characterized in that the diameter (D1) of the pins (Z) is 2.52 mm and the diameter (D2) of the holes (B) is 2.50 mm.

Plastic housing according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized

in that the spacings (L31-L3n, L41-L4n) of adjacent pivots (Z) and the distances (Lll-Lln, L21-L2n) of associated adjacent bores (B) are 0.7 to 1.0% of the diameter (Dl) of the Pins (Z) differ from each other.

Plastic housing according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized

in that the pins (Z) and the bores (B) are arranged in rows parallel to edges (5, 15) of the housing parts (1, 2).

Plastic housing according to claim 4, characterized

that the distances (L8, L9) from opposite pins (Z) and each gegenüberlie ing holes (B) are unequal. Plastic housing according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized

that the distance of the pins (Z) to an inwardly facing edge of the peripheral edge (16) corresponds maximally to the diameter (D1) of the pins (Z). Plastic housing according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized

in that the pins (Z) and the sleeves (8) are integrally formed with bores (B) on the housing parts (1, 2) and via stiffening webs (21st) projecting vertically from a bottom (4, 14) of the housing parts (1, 2) ) are supported on the bottom (4, 14) and / or the peripheral edge (5, 15).